University Barge Club
A Community Built on the Water
We’re a vibrant community of competitive and recreational rowers, united by passion, camaraderie, and a love for the Schuylkill River.
We have done just that for more than 150 years.
Today’s active masters rowers range in age from mid-20s to the mid-80s. Roughly half of the approximately 200 regular rowers do so competitively, training for Henley, San Diego Crew Classic, Head of the Schuylkill, Head of the Charles, World Rowing Masters and many regattas on the Schuylkill River. The balance is dedicated recreational rowers, for whom neither rain nor snow nor the dark of an early winter morning is a reason to sleep in.
UBC takes great pride in our fleet of top quality high-performance boats, professionally maintained and repaired in-house to a standard of excellence and renewed on a regular basis.
There are many formal and informal (row and brunch, row and dine) social events and Club gatherings, as well as member opportunities for volunteerism and stewardship to fulfill our responsibilities to the Club and the greater rowing community. “The Club seeks to provide a congenial environment for rowers bound together by ties of friendship and a love of the river.” – UBC President Bart Isdaner
The boathouse is one of the original occupants of Boathouse Row, which was designated in 1987 as a National Historic Landmark. Built in 1871, it was substantially expanded in 1893 to accommodate eight-oared shells. Maintenance of the historic structure is entrusted to the UBC 1871 Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charity.
From 1971 through today, UBC has hosted the Thomas Eakins Head of the Schuylkill Regatta, one of the largest rowing events in the country. The Regatta became an independent 501(c)(3) public charity in 2009, with Club members continuing to play a major role in its financial, volunteer, and on-water operations.
The Club is home to many female and male rowers, including the Springside Chestnut Hill Academy crew team.
Boathouse History
Located at 7 Boathouse Row, the University Barge Club was founded in 1854 by ten members of the freshman class of the University of Pennsylvania. When it was founded, UBC limited membership to students and alumni of the University of Pennsylvania, however, today it boasts a robust masters program open to all women and men rowers.
In 1871, the University Barge Club joined forces with the Philadelphia Barge Club to construct a new boathouse. Originally, it was asymmetrical, neo-Gothic, two-bay structure of green serpentine stone, topped by a board and slate mansard roof. Each club had a separate entrance, staircase, boat storage area, and changing facilities. In many ways, it was a miniature version of College Hall, the main building of Penn’s new West Philadelphia campus. Both structures were built of the same green serpentine stone, which in the years to come crumbled in Philadelphia’s sooty air. In a strange design coincidence, College Hall’s top floor boasted a similar symmetrical layout for a suite of rooms built specifically for two rival literary societies: the Philomathean and the Zelosophic.
The boathouse was greatly expanded in 1891. Originally, University Barge Club only occupied #7 Boathouse Row, while Philadelphia Barge Club occupied #8. In 1932, UBC acquired #8 when Philadelphia Barge Club ceased operations.